Ryou
by Kat721
Summary: "I need to talk to Tsunade." "Not without answering some questions." "Then your questions will go unanswered. I refuse to talk to anyone other than Tsunade." "Who is the girl?" "This is my daughter." "We understand that miss, but who are you, who is the childs father, and why does she have the sharingan?" SasukeXFemNaruto
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I only own my own character(s). **

A woman and girl walk slowly to the village gates. The girl knows how anxious her mother is to be back in her village so she reaches with her small hand out to he mother. Her mother sends the girl a smile and takes the offered hand in her own. The two walk in a comfortable silence and the small girl thinks back to what she learned on her 8th birthday almost three months ago.

She and her mother celebrated her birthday alone, but it was always that way. Both females were happy and the girl was excited to start using her new kunai set. She wanted to be a ninja just like her mom, and now she could start practicing! Suddenly the older of the two gets a sad and faraway look in her eyes.

The little girl is at a loss. She has never seen her mom look so sad before. "What's wrong mommy?" She asks. The woman sighs. "There is something we need to talk about and I think you are ready to hear it." The girl starts to get nervous. Had she done something wrong? Her mother seems sad. Her blue eyes and blond hair no longer seem as bright and the girl tries to prepare herself for their talk.

"You are not my biological daughter." Says the blond with a hint of fear in her eyes. The small girl frowns. "What does that mean momma?" She asks. "It means that I am not the one who brought you into this world." Says the blond. This the girl understands. She had already learned about babies and how when a boy and girl were in love they could have babies. She had asked how, but her mother had promised to tell her when she was older.

The girl starts feeling sad. "But why...? Didn't my other mommy and daddy want me?" The blond stands and picks up the girl and carries her to the couch of their small home. She sits and holds the girl close to her on her lap. The girl is grateful and inhales her mothers comforting scent. Large tears start to fall down her face. 'Will you not want me anymore either?' She asks silently.

The woman sighs and holds the girl closer. "Your father died honorably keeping a promise to himself for his brother. His name was Uchiha Itachi and he was a man like no other. Your mom was a lovely civilian and trader in the market. Itachi had warned her that she would be in danger if they were together but she loved him anyway."

More tears fall down the girls face so she huddles closer to her mother. The blond stokes her hair and wipes away a few of her tears before she continues. "Shortly after you were born the two of you were attacked. Both of you survived and your mother decided to try to take you to another place in hopes that you would be safe. Halfway there you were attacked again. I happened to be passing by and found the two of you in a clearing. Your mom was seriously injured and begged me to take and protect you. She told me her story and that her name was Ryou. Before she died I asked her if I could name you after her and she agreed with a smile. She held you close and said to you "Live well my little Uchiha Selina Ryou." and then passed on. That's everything that I know."

The girl cries harder for a moment for her losses, but they eventually become tears of joy. Her parents had wanted her. She wipes away the last of her tears and looks sheepishly up at her mom. A thought occurs to her. She fidgets. Should she ask? Finally she gathers up her courage and blurts it out. "Can I still call you mom?" She squeezes her eyes closed and clenches her hands into fits. She feels and hears her mom chuckle. "Only if you want to. You will always be my daughter, and I will always love you like one."

The girl opens her eyes and throws her arms around her mother. "I love you too, mom." The woman squeezes her close and both feel at peace. Ryou finally pulls away. "Do you have any other questions?" Asks her mom gently. The girl thinks.

She had always assumed that the woman in front of her was her bio-whatever-it-was mom, so she always thought they shared the same, Uchiha, name. Come to think of it, she didn't even know her moms first name! Curiosity begins to gnaw at her belly. "Mom, what's YOUR name?" The blonds eyes widen slightly before she laughs. "Of all the questions to ask, you decided to ask that one?" She laughs some more and the girl blushes slightly. "I was just curious." She mutters.

"Hai, hai." Says the blond. "My name is Namekaze-Uzumaki Ayame Naruto ,or as I prefer, Naru ." The girl rolls her name on her tongue. "Namekaze-Uzumaki Ayame Naru." She says. She thinks about her own name. She liked the name Selena but wasn't very fond of it. It was too girly for her personality. She throws her newest idea around inside her head for several moments. "Mom? Can I change my name if I want to?" The blond looks surprised. "If you want to. But do you really want to change the name that your mom gave you?"

"Not all of it." She defends. Narus eyes soften. "And just what part of it would you like to change?" The girls face starts to glow bright red and she starts to fiddling with her fingers. She keeps her gaze locked on her hands as she gives the blond her answer. "I'd like to be called Uchiha Namekaze-Uzumaki Ryou." The blond looks thoughtful. That is going to be a lot of name to write down on paper." She warns.

Ryou only nods. "And it's gonna be a helluva dangerous name.." The girl crosses her arms. "I still want it." She says determinedly. "Figures." Says the blond. "You not only look like your father, but you are also as stubborn as his clan too." She sighs. "Fine, but we are going to have to move." The girl literally jumps for joy. "Finally! We get to leave this stupid stuffy old house!" She sings happily "Yeah, yeah. Go pack your stuff, we're headed to Konoha." Says Naru with a small smile.

It had taken them three months to make it to Konohas gates. Now the girl could only stand in awe as she stared at them. It was the first time in her life she had ever been to a shinobi village and excitement was coursing through her veins. Her mom had already taught her some of the basics of being a shinobi. That was part of the reason it had taken them so long to get there.

Naru had warned her yesterday that things would get weird sooner or later so she half anticipated and half worried about why. That same day her mom dyed her hair and put in contacts so that they were every bit as dark as her daughters. Lastly she covered her whisker marks with makeup. Ryou was sad to see her mothers features disappear and told her so.

The blond smiled lightly and explained that there were two things that were going to surprise the people that lived in Konoha. The first was that she was female, and the second was that she had a daughter. Ryou had been confused and asked why but the blond just winked and said. "Because I am Konohas number one most unpredictable knuckleheaded ninja!"

Her mother starts talking to the two gate guards and Ryous thoughts wander again. On their trip she had asked about the marks. Her mother told her about her past, parents, and Kurama. The girl was sad to know that her mom was also an orphan, but was glad that her grandparents were so cool. Ryou is pulled back out of her wandering thoughts when her mom pulls on her hand and leads her into the village. They don't even take ten steps before her mom freezes in place and starts using harsh language that Ryou had never heard from her mothers mouth before."

"Mother!" Admonishes Ryou. The blond turned black haired woman doesn't seem to hear her daughter and is staring openly and a large white dog with brown ears. The dog lifts its head and sniffs the air. The girl glances up at her mom and shakes her hand. "What's wrong?" She asks. The blond groans and slaps her head with her hand. "I forgot about smell." The dog turns his gaze to the two women, and Naru groans again.

"Merda." curses the would be blond. Ryous jaw drops. "Mom! Language!" The woman finally breaks out of her trance. "Oh, uh... that was Italian." Ryou has to resist the urge to pinch herself. They had only been in the village for a maximum of five minutes and her mother had already developed a stronger language than she had ever used in front of her daughter before.

A man with wild brown hair and fang like marks on his cheeks appears. Her mother visibly panics when he starts talking to the dog. She grabs Ryou and swings the girl onto her back. "Hold on tight." She warns. The girl takes her advice and clings tightly to her mothers shoulders. Just as she tightens her grip Narus feet leave the ground and land on one of the rooftops. She starts running along the tops of the buildings as if being chased by a demon.

Ryou gets curious and turns her head slightly to see if they are being followed. To her relief no one seems to be on their trail. The feeling is short lived when the dog appears with the man on his back. They spot the two quickly and begin following them. As if summoned by magic, other ninja begin to appear around the man and dog and join in the pursuit. Kunai start flying through the air so Naru switches Ryou so that she is carrying her on the front of her body and giving Ryou a clear view of just how many are trailing them.

They seem to be unable to catch up. She can hear her mother breathing evenly and tries to relax, but she is still worried. What was her mother running from? More kunai and some shuriken come flying at the two females. Ryou feels anger and fear seep into her and she uses it to activate the only thing she can use to help her. Her sharingan.

Ryou can imagine her eyes turn blood red while leaving three tomoes of black. She reaches under her mothers traveling coat and into her weapons pouch and pulls out one of her regular kunai. Then she uses it to knock away the kunai that had been aimed for her moms back.

Naru glances back over her shoulder for the first time and seems to deflate a bit. She notices her daughters eyes and the number of familiar ninja trailing them. "Honey, I'm going to have to stop. Be prepared for a lot of questions and confusion." The girl nods and places the borrowed kunai back into its proper place. "Can you deactivate the sharingan now?" The girl shakes her head and buries her face in her moms shoulder. She closes her eyes and listens to her surroundings quietly.

"It's ok dear. These people won't hurt you." Naru soothes her daughter. Ryou calms down slightly but the fear keeps her eyes from returning to normal. She can feel her mother slow down and turn around to face the ninja. She is once again switched so that Naru is between the shinobi and her daughter.

"I need to talk to Tsunade." Says Naru "Not without answering some questions." Answers one with a board tone. "Then your questions will go unanswered. I refuse to talk to anyone other than Tsunade." Counters Naru "Who is the girl?" Asks the same man "This is my daughter." Answers Naru "We understand that miss, but who are you, who is the childs father, and why does she have the sharingan?"

"I am me, myself, and I. My Daughters father is deceased, and she has the sharingan because it is a bloodline that has been passed to her through genetics." Ryou giggles at her mothers round-about way of telling them the answers without lying. "Now I have answered you questions so let me talk to Tsunade." She demands. Ryou can hear the man sigh. "Troublesome woman."

"I'm only being 'troublesome' because I need to talk to Tsunade!" Ryou lifts up her head and looks for the first time at the gathered crowd. Some of the ninja gasp and others turn to their partners and begin whispering to each other. She can hear her own name, Uchiha, being spoken repeatedly. The man in the front of the rest has his hands hanging lazily by his side and the girl immediately places him with the lazy voice. Finally he sighs and flicks his hand. A man with long black hair and lavender colored eyes appears beside him. "Go inform Lady Tsunade of the situation and respectfully request that she make an appearance." He orders. "Hai." Says the man, and he speeds across the rooftops.

The dog and brown haired appear next to the lazy shinobi. The dog wines and paws at the ground. Ryou can feel the intensity of her mothers glare at the dog and is glad that she hasn't decided to add any killing intent. The dog wines again and yips at the man. The womans glare intensifies. "If you finish that sentence, I will invite a certain friend of mine to come 'play' with you." The dog instantly stops and places its tail between its legs. It then backs away slightly.

Many of the faces look shocked. The brown haired man looks like Naru had just hit him on the head with a hammer. He opens his mouth to retort when a busty blond with two low pigtails lands just beside the lazy shinobi. "What is so important that I need to come here in person for you to talk to?" She asks furiously.

"I need to talk to you alone please." Pleads Naru. The woman shakes her head. "I cannot talk with you alone because I do not know what your motives are and because you have not answered the questions asked of you in a satisfactory manner." She says, menacingly. Naru doesn't flinch. "I can not answer the questions that they ask because they ask about classified information and I am only allowed to tell if you or the council gives me permission to do so." Says Naru. The woman seems to grow annoyed. "Fine. Then I hereby give you permission to answer any and all questions and in turn I will answer yours."

Naru bites her lip. "I don't think that's a very good idea baa-chan." The woman immediately puts out killing intent and several of her own shinobi cringe. "Do not call me baa-chan. Now answer the damn questions." "Fine!" Says Naru "But if I die or something happens to my daughter I will personally haunt you from the afterlife!" "Fine." Agrees Tsunade. "Start with your name. Then move on to your information, and afterword's tell us about your daughter."

"My name is Namekaze-Uzumaki Ayame Naruto ,but I prefer Naru. I was born here in Konoha and am have a rank of gennin but am considered high kage level. My mother was Uzumaki Kushina and my father was Namekaze Minato. I am female but was thought to be male for the first eighteen years of my life because Kyuubis DNA was stronger than mine so my body was male. When I was able to start talking to him he told me the truth and when learned to control his chakra I was able to manipulate it so that my true form could come out. My sexy jutsu is a very basic form of this manipulation."

The would be blond takes a deep breath and starts again. "This is my daughter. Her name is Uchiha Selena Ryou but she wishes to change it to Uchiha Namekaze-Uzumaki Ryou Her fathers name was Uchiha Itachi and her mothers name was Kusagi Ryou. She is eight years old and has basic shinobi training. Our motives for being in Konoha are as follows. Ryou wishes to be educated as a ninja and didn't like our house. She also wishes to change her name. Those and the fact that my three year training period ended five years ago..." She trails off.

"Mom." Whispers Ryou. "I don't think they believe you. Your baa-chan looks like she is going to murder you." Naru smiles back at her daughter. "Then I have to start coming up with pranks that I am going to play when I come back to haunt her, aren't I?" Ryou giggles despite the tense situation. "Yup!"

=D =D =D =D =D =D =D

Ryou is pronounced like the spanish word rio as in river.


	2. Chapter 2

Tsunades eyes are dangerously narrow. "How dare you claim to be Naruto?" He voice is too calm to be as emotionless as it seems. Naru sighs. "I'm not claiming to be anything. I am Naruto. How else would I know so much about myself?" A frown mars the older blonds face. "You could be an enemy who has spent the last few years with the gaki in interrogation." "Then why would I bring an eight year old with me?" She asks the suspicious Hokage. "She could be a decoy to throw us off you."

Naru glances back at Ryou. "I'm going to put you down now ok?" She asks. The girl nods and sets her feet on the ground. She stands beside her mother but keeps one hand safely attached to her light traveling jacket. Her mother moves her hands to the zipper of the jacket but pauses when most of the shinobi tense. "Relax. I'm just taking off my disguise." She tells them.

She unzips the jacket and pulls it off revealing an astonishing amount of bright orange. She has on standard black ninja sandals that reach the tops of her caves and black shorts that end at the lower part of her thighs. An orange tank top is covered by an old-fashioned black kimono top. It's only attached at the neck, leaving most of her front covered in just the tank top. The back, however, reaches the middle of her back and has the Uzumaki clan symbol surrounded by nine red dots. The sleeves are also unusual. Both of them have red and orange flame designs decorating the edges.

She reaches for the kunai pouch on her waist and ignores the other ninja as they reach for their weapons and pulls out her contact case. She takes the contacts out and puts them away. She then swaps the case for a rag and wipes the makeup off of her cheeks. She shoves it back into her pouch and closes it.

Ryous sharingan finally melts away as she can once again see her mothers trademark features. "Nobody panic." Says Naru with her hands in the air. "I have to use a little bit of my chakra to deactivate the hair dye. If you don't believe me get Neji and Hinata to watch me." Tsunade nods. "You heard the girl." The lavender eyed male from earlier and a female with similar features step forward and activate their own eyes.

Naru keeps her hands in the air and sends small waves of chakra through her roots. The black quickly disappears and the shining blond is once again visible. She pulls a pony tail holder off her wrist and deftly braids it so that the wind no longer plays with the now golden strands. "Is this proof enough or do you really need to see more?"

Tsunade and the others still don't seem convinced. "This does not prove anything for sure." The blond sighs. She reaches down and hooks her fingers under her shirt and pulls it up slowly, revealing her tanned stomach. She pumps a tiny bit of chakra into the area and a black mark wavers into existence. Ryou looks at it in awe. 'It's so pretty.' She thinks.

The small girl uses the hand that is not attached to her mothers clothes and gently traces it. Tsunade breaks off from the assembled ninja and approaches with hesitant steps. The shinobi protest but she ignores them. Her hands glow green and she reaches for Narus mark. Ryou backs away from the woman and clings desperately to her mom.

The older blonds fingers prod the mark on Narus stomach and the younger fidgets slightly and bites her lip. "Stop moving." Orders Tsunade. Naru squeezes her eyes shut and bites her lip harder. Tsunde touches another spot on Narus stomach and the younger visibly flinches. The older blond glares at her. "I told you not to move." The younger glares right back. "I tried not to move! You know that I'm ticklish there!"

The Hokage seems to finally accept the truth of Narus words. "You are late." Narus eyes soften and she allows her shirt to fall back into place. " I had a promise to keep, and I never go back on my word." She looks down at Ryou and gently tugs on her hand. "This is my daughter Ryou. Ryou this is baa-chan." Ryou is fascinated by the woman. She seems to have more strength than what she shows. "Hi." She says shyly. The womans eyes look over the girl and she smiles. "Hello." She answers. Her joy and pride towards the younger female is thick. She had been afraid that she had lost her gaki forever, only to have her turn up with her daughter. Today was a good day.

"I still have to do a DNA test." Says Tsunade. "I just need to confirm that you two are who you say you are." Naru nods. "Understandable." Tsunade turns around. "I need Shikamaru, Neji, Akamaru and Kiba to stay. The rest of you are not to say a word about this. I will let everyone know when it is acceptable to discuss this sometime after the DNA tests come in. Dismissed." The other ninja disappear leaving the three that had been called out.

Naru walks over to Akamaru and kneels so that she is eye to eye to him "I'm sorry for threatening you like that. I had planned to keep this quiet for a little while longer, but that nose of yours caught me. She gently pats him on the head he licks her hand and pants happily. Ryou watches but stays firmly attached to her mother. Naru grabs the girls hand and pulls her around to stand in front of the white dog. "Do you want to pet him too?" The little girl nods. "Then you have to ask both Kiba and Akamaru if you can because he is a ninja dog. The same goes for summons and other animals that work with ninjas." The little girl nods solemnly. "Can I pet your dog?" She asks a wide eyed Kiba. He nods and she turns her attention to the dog. "Can I pet you?" The dog nods and wags his tail.

She begins scratching him behind his left ear and giggles when he leans into it. "Mama, he acts like Kurama!" Naru winces when she hears said demon growl. She feels him use a fraction of their shared chakra to create a shadow clone. A long, red haired man poofs into existence and the gathered ninja all seem slightly taken aback at his sudden appearance.

Ryou grins happily and jumps into his arms. The red-head catches her and growls playfully at her. "I do not act like that." He tells her sternly. The little girl frowns. She reaches up with one small hand and starts rubbing his ear. A startled look crosses his face for a brief moment before he leans into it with a look of pure bliss on his features. The little girl laughs and scratches harder. A deep rumbling escapes his chest and Naru laughs. "You're right Kyuu. You react more like a house cat than Akamaru ever has."

The little girl stops scratching his ears and he immediately turns his black eyes to her. "As I recall, you react the same way." The girl blushes a bright red. "Only when I turn into a fox!" The man grins. "Don't you dare." Says Naru sternly. The man gives Ryou to Tsunade. "Keep an eye on her." Naru glares at the man. "I said no." The grin only grows more evil. "I say yes."

The two of them lunge and start in a battle of taijutsu. Kurama has the upper hand and Naru knows it. She had let her training slip a bit while she was raising Ryou because she had been trying to keep a low profile. Ryou struggles out of a startled Tsunades arms and lands gracefully on her feet. She calmly walks to the two fighting ninja and waits for them to notice her silent presence. "Both of you act more like a child than I do."

The two of them glare playfully at her. The small girl yelps and runs back to Tsunade. The two ninja catch her before she can reach the older blond and mercilessly tickle her. "I give up!" She gasps between giggles. "You win!" Kurama nods, and disappears in a puff of white smoke. Naru throws her arms around the girl and holds her on her lap. "What do I get since I win?" The smaller of the two grins in the same way her mother just had.

She reaches up and scratches behind her mothers ear just like she had done with the Kyuubi. "I won't spill your secret." Narus eyes widen before she leans into the girls touch slightly. "Deal." She purrs. The little girl removes her hand and Tsunade looks at the two with all the pride of a mother and can't stop the smile that spreads across her face.

"So you purr now, huh? That's new." Naru blushes and both the older woman and younger girl laugh. "Okay, if you will both come with me we can go wait in my office to get those tests back and depending on how you do, you can and will tell me about what has happened in the last eight years."

Shikamare, Neji, Kiba and his partner gather around the three and escort them back to the office where they surround the building and wait for their next orders. The tests come back quickly and Naru recites their story. Ryou falls asleep on Narus lap with her had on the elders shoulder. Naru runs her fingers gently through the girls hair, soothing her as she sleeps. At the end of the story Tsunade leans forward in her chair with her fingers intertwined and elbows leaning on her desk.

"How long until Ryou is ready to start at the academy?" The younger blond shifts as her leg starts to go slightly numb. "She is eight years old now so she should be ready in about four years." Tsunade nods. "How long until you are ready to start working again?" The blond resists the urge to shrug her shoulders, but that would only wake up the girl so she only shakes her head. "A month at the most maybe? I haven't been training much since I left so I have to rebuild some of that muscle." Tsunade nods and stands. The younger blond copies her movements and follows her through the door.

In the hallway Tsunade turns back to her. "Where are you going to stay?" The blond shakes her head again. Naru opens her mouth to reply but Ryou shifts in her arms. "Mommy?" She asks. Naru turns her head slightly so her gaze is on the girl. "Yes honey?" The girl stays quiet for a moment. "Why is there a man that looks just like me here?"

Naru freezes. Then she panics. Tsunade notices her distress and remembers that the blond left two days after Sasukes return. The old team seven is looking at the two curiously. "Tsunade- shishio, we are back from our mission. It was a success." Says Sakura. The air hitches in Narus throat and the four trained ninja notice. Tsunade closes her eyes and waits to see how Naru will play this one out.

Sasuke stops ignoring the two and his eyes finally wander over the two. His gaze meets with Ryou and he can't turn it away. He had assumed that a young girl had exaggerated when she had asked the blond why he looked like her, but now he can see the similarities. He accidentally glares at the girl as his mind goes through the many possibilities as to why they resemble each other so much.

The girl shivers delicately and clings closer to the blond, who is still frozen in her indecision. This only scare the girl more and she feels the red bleed into and changer her eyes again today. Sakura gasps and the 'last' Uchiha pulls out a kunai and attacks the blond. The blond dodges and sweeps her leg under his, effectively tripping him and sending him to the floor. She turns so that her face is once again turned away from the group.

She sits on the ground in the hallway in front of the downed Uchiha and pulls the girl to sit in front of her. "Sshh." She soothes the girl. "It's going to be okay." The girl looks over the blonds shoulder to the older Uchiha who is pushing himself off of the carpeted floor. "But who is he?" She whispers. The ninja hear her and Sasuke activates his own eyes as he waits for the blonds answer.

The younger Uchiha gasps and can't take her eyes of the man. "This, baby, is your uncle Sasuke." Tsunade opens her eyes and watches Sasuke closely. Said uncle is doing the math backwards in his head. He killed Itachi eight years ago so at the very least the girl would be seven but she could also be closer in age to ten. "How old are you?" He demands harshly, but internally he is losing the battle of guilt that has risen in him. "I-I'm eight." He quickly does the math backwards. The girl would probably have just been born when he killed Itachi, the girl had never even gotten to know her father. He cringes when another thought runs through his overloaded mind. 'I did to this girl almost exactly what my brother did to me. My innocent brother.'

Guilt floods through him like a title wave, and he turns his attention to the blond. "Are you her mother then?" "She is her adoptive mother." Says Tsunade from the side. Sasuke never takes his gaze off the blond. His heart sinks even lower. It's hard for him to breathe and his vision blurs around the edges.

"Where is her mother?" He asks. His voice is steady and unwavering but inside he longs to release the tears that have built up. The last time he cried was when the dobe hadn't come back from his training three years ago and everyone had given up hope. The blond lowers her head. "She died when Ryou was four months old." She tells him sadly. "A single tear runs down his face. Shame burns at his insides but his pride does not get in the way of this tiny show of emotion.

He doesn't make a move to wipe the tear away and instead he looks at the girl. The rest of the tears dry immediately as he realizes that this girl is his own blood. She is another Uchiha. He's not alone anymore. The only time he had ever felt this way was with the dobe, but he had disappeared and assumed dead.

The woman stands and pulls Ryou into her arms. Sasuke can't take his gaze away from them but his face remains relaxed and impassive. "Can I have your name?" He asks quietly. The woman laughs. The pure amusement sends shivers down his spine. "My name," States the woman turning slowly. "is Namekaze- Uzumaki Naruto." He stares. Same blond hair, same orange, and most of all, it's the same pair of expressive and understanding blue eyes that he has lost himself in so many times.

Sakuras eyes are wide with shock. "B- But you're a g- girl!" The blond flashes a foxy grin. "Yes, and I helped Sasuke revive his clan." Sai grins and Yamato rolls his eyes. "That's definitely Naruto." He says. Tsunade crosses her arms. "I would hope so, otherwise the DNA test I just made her take would be lying." "Care to explain?" Asks Kakashi "The sharingan and byakugan both would have seen through it if you were using a henge, and my sensei said you were a boy."

The girl flashes a grin. "He was just guessing. Do you all remember how Gaaras sand surrounds him and protects him in a bubble?" The all nod. "Well, when a female jinchuriki is pregnant the demon places a similar barrier around the baby, but it is made purely out of chakra. When the jinchuriki goes into labor, the baby absorbs that chakra and then is born through the natural process. That's part of the reason I have so much chakra without Kuramas help. The 'chakra barrier' also helps to protect the baby and makes it impossible to get an ultrasound image. That's why he thought I was a boy."

"Why did you start acting like a boy then?" Asks Sakura, a bit defensively. "Actually that's the weird part." Says Naru. "When Kurama was sealed into me his DNA was stronger than mine so I was unable to be the girl I really was. When I started to figure things out I accidentally showed it in public and that's the 'sexy jutsu'. I did however use a henge to make myself look more like a Barbie doll, otherwise there would be people that would know what I looked like naked, and I really don't want that."

"So what changed that you can be yourself?" Asks Yamato from the back of the group. "I simply gained control over the kyuubis powers. I could have let it be known that I was a girl right afterwords, but we were in the middle of a war so I didn't want to distract my comrades."

"What about the crush that you used to have on Sakura?" Asks Sai bluntly. The blond seems taken aback. "I had a male body and hormones, not a male mind. My body reacted to her but I have never felt anything romantic for Sakura- chan." Sasuke listens while the blond talks. It's low and soothing, allowing him to lower his guard somewhat.

"As fun as this all is you still haven't answered my question gaki." Says Tsunade. Naru winces. "I have no idea, Baa- chan. My apartment was torn down and the Namekaze estate was destroyed during the Kyuubi attack, so I figured we would just throw up a tent on one of the training grounds until I got everything settled."

"Naru you can't stay in a tent." Sighs Tsunade. Naruto bites her lip. "They can stay with me." All heads turn to the usually silent Uchiha. "That girl has the sharingan, so she is an Uchiha. That also means that she has every right to stay in the complex along with her guardian." The blond smiles. "Thanks Teme!"

"Tsunade nods." Since you both agree then it's perfectly fine with me." She glances out the window at the sinking sun. "It's getting late so you are dismissed, but I expect a full report from Yamato and Kakashi tomorrow over the mission." The two men nod and disappear.

"See you tomorrow Naruto." Says Sakura. Naru nods and waves goodbye. Sakura and Sai then leave in different directions. Sasuke silently leads the way out of the tower and through the streets. Ryou is once again sleeping soundly on Narus shoulder. She shifts the girl slightly without waking her and Sasuke looks back for the first time. He notices that she is struggling slightly with the youngers weight and smirks slightly. "What's the matter dobe, did you forget to train?" Her gaze meets his and he can swear that his heart nearly leaps out of his chest.

"No, I just care more about my daughter than my training." Her eyes reflect the moonlight and her normally golden hair seems silver. He had heard his father talk to Itachi one night about how when a woman became a mother she became even more beautiful. He was young at the time and didn't understand so he had put the thought our of his mind, but now the words flow back.

Narus pride, joy, love, and unwavering desire to protect her daughter are showing through her eyes, and hits Sasuke full force. His thoughts freeze and he can feel every time his heart beats in his chest. He swallows thickly. "Would you like me to carry her?" Naru holds her gaze for a couple seconds more before she softens it. Sasuke practically feels his heart melt. 'What has the dobe done to me?' He screams mentally.

His emotionless mask is still firmly in place but for some odd reason he feels like Naruto can see through it. She smiles as if truly reading his jumbled thoughts. "Yes, please." He holds out his arms and Naruto carefully deposits the girl onto his shoulder and into his embrace. He holds the girl with one hand and continues walking to his house. Halfway there Naru places her hand into his and continues to walk quietly. Neither blush. It doesn't feel embarrassing to either of them. It just feels right, so they walk.

* * *

A woman coming home from a very late shift at the hospital notices the trio, and even without knowing who they are she can see that they are truly happy. She opens her door and walks into her own house. A light flickers in the kitchen so he goes to investigate. In the kitchen her husband has candles all over the place and is standing quietly with a large grin on his face and a dozen roses in his hand. "Happy anniversary." He whispers as the woman looks wide eyed around the kitchen. She smiles, takes the flowers, and kisses her husband.

* * *

When they finally reach the house Sasuke opens the door to the room that will be Ryous. Naru wakes the girl and Sasuke gently places her upright on the floor. He looks away as the girl changes but his eyes are drawn back to the two as Naru gently tucks the girl into bed. She whispers something to the girl and kisses her forehead, but the girl is already once again fast asleep. She walks out of the room and closes the door behind her.

Her gaze meets his again and he can see the same emotions as before, but this time he feels as though it is directed at him. He feels himself take a step closer and she bends her neck slightly to look up at him. He looks deep into her eyes, and she does the same into his. They stand like that quietly for a few moments before he moves agin.

They both close their eyes and his lips lightly brush hers. An electrical feeling runs through both of their bodies. He opens his eyes and watches as Naruto opens hers. He lifts his right hand and trace her cheek gently, before he returns it to his side. "Come on, I'll show you to your room." He whispers quietly. She nods and follows him down the short hallway. "This is your room." He says quietly. "Mine is across the hallway if you need anything."

The blond nods and watches him disappear into his bedroom before she walks into hers. She closes the door and changes into her night-clothes before she pulls back the covers and slips into the bed. She touches her lips and thinks about the kiss before she falls into a deep sleep, unaware that Sasuke is doing the same.

=D =D =D =D =D =D =D

Thoughts and comments are appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

Sasuke lays quietly in his bed thinking about what he had done the night before. What on Earth possessed him to kiss THE DOBE of all people? He remembers her eyes and the way they seemed to warm him from the inside out. He touches his lips. The strange thing was that it wasn't unpleasant. It was like when he had allowed her to hold his hand. It just felt so... right.

A slight blush dances across his pale cheeks. What did Naruto think of all this? Sasuke always felt so at home around Naruto when she was a boy, but now new feelings are spilling into his heart as if the blonde had managed to break the dam he put up after his parents died.

In truth, that night had broken him. He had lied when he said that he had walked in and his brother was standing over their bodies. He had come into the room just in time to see his brother plunge his kunai into his mothers heart and cut his fathers throat.

He stood helpless while the life poured out of his parents. He had been unable to breathe or think straight. All he could do was watch as they slipped away from him. Silent tears had poured down his cheeks. When the smell of their deaths had hit him he was only able to throw up whatever was in his stomach. The tears came faster and he clenched his fists. 'I'm so useless.'

Those words had been bouncing around inside his skull so many times. They ate at him and tore at his heart. Then he met Naruto. 'He.' Sasuke shakes his head and corrects himself. 'She saved my life by just being herself.' Sasuke still remembers the very first time he saw the blonde. It was down by the lake where his father had taught him to create the fireball.

He didn't shed many tears at the funerals. He prefered to do that where curious eyes weren't watching. The lake was a place of serenity that stayed undisturbed and allowed him to think. The blond had walked by and stared silently at the Uchiha. When Sasuke turned to glare at the boy for giving him the unwanted pity the boy merely turned and continued walking.

Sasuke had been stunned, and his glare remained fixed as he watched the blonds retreating back. He had not seen sympathy. No, what he had seen was something much worse. It was empathy. The blond knew what it was like to feel lonely. To feel sad but be unable to show it because he feared the pain and knew that his tears couldn't save what had been lost to him.

When he started the academy, he had watched the blonde closely. The 'boy' was loud and bright, but Sasuke saw the way he suffered. The teachers seemed to treat the boy differently than the rest of the students. Sasuke hated that. They treated him different too. He would purposely fill in the wrong answers on tests but still receive perfect scores. Once he caught a glance of one of Narutos papers. All the answers were correct but it had a failing grade printed at the top.

Eventually he became withdrawn. He wouldn't speak to anyone because he didn't want to be perfect. He wanted to be treated normally. Eventually he created an outward mask so that no one could see what he felt on the inside. He was disgusted with them. All of them. All but one. The blonde. At the time he hadn't even known Narutos name, but he felt connected to him.

When he heard that some boy named Naruto had passed the tests he had been unimpressed. Then he learned that the blond WAS Naruto, he was relieved but not surprised. When they officially met for the first time they became rivals. He was glad. But his 'mask' always became fragile when he was around the blond. He had to work harder to keep it in place but this caused him to act 'colder' towards the blonde who started calling him a teme.

This amused him, so in return he called the blond dobe. The names suited them and became more of a comforting ritual, rather than a mean comment. The first time he faced an enemy with Naruto at his side, THOSE words came back. He proved them wrong by using his own body to save his teammate in hopes that the blonde would find a way to live.

When he woke up he realised that by throwing himself in front of the blond he ended up making Naruto face the ice user alone. That's when his mask became a permanent part of his defense. He WOULD kill his brother and then he would find a way to restart his clan. Maybe he would even adopt the blond into his family. Then both of them would never have to feel alone again.

Together the two of them grew stronger. They were partners, and they were better that way. Sasuke could use genjutsu and a number of jutsus that required a small and very precise amount of chakra while Naruto could use the jutsus that required much more and were extremely difficult to master. The curse mark had been the last straw for the Uchiha. He was tired of being a helpless pawn of 'fate'. He agreed to go with Orochimaru knowing three things.

He would be the one to kill the man, and then his brother..

He would leave the snake mans presence with more knowledge than when he arrived.

He was going to miss Naruto, his partner, his reason for getting stronger.

He never understood the feelings he had for the blond. He knew the blond could see right through his mask. This knowledge scared and annoyed him. It still does. He saw orange every night in his dreams and it broke his heart when he opened his eyes and the cheerful color disappeared.

He finally felt as empty as he had spent years pretending to be. The blond always followed him and begged him to come home. He couldn't. Not yet. He always felt more empty when he denied the blonds demands for his return, but he still had work to do. The war had changed everything. He learned that his brother was protecting Konoha and Sasuke himself, but it was already too late.

He wanted to destroy the very thing his brother protected to get back at both of them for the lies, but decided against it in the end and settled for killing the one man who was truly responsible for the numerous Uchiha deaths. Danzo. A few short months later the war started, it ended, and Sasuke decided to return home.

Naruto was waiting at the gates with a big goofy grin on his face. Joy radiated from the blond like light came from the sun. At that moment Sasukes mask cracked. He wasn't alone anymore. The knowledge left him breathless but somehow also allowed him to breathe more easily. It was as if he had spent too long underwater. Naruto personally told him that he would be leaving on his three year long training trip. Sasuke wanted to beg him to stay but after years of holding onto his fake mask, he couldn't force it away. Instead he stood and silently choked on the words he wanted so badly to release as he watched the blonde walk away.

Sasuke spent the next three years trying to reshape his mask so that when Naruto came back they could truly be friends. It had worked. His mask had stretched to accommodate the Naruto sized hole in his heart, but it didn't last. Naruto never returned. Sasuke waited a full year before he let his mask snap back into what it truly was, just like a rubber band.

In the hallway of the hokage tower as soon as he saw Naruto the mask flexed in a way he hadn't expected. It didn't stretch. It morphed. Both females had a spot and he knew that they would be the only ones to fit into. He had spent nearly his whole life denying that he loved Naruto, but in that one instant he knew that he had been wrong.

He rubs his forehead and tosses the blankets off his muscular frame. He walks down the hallway and into the kitchen in a pair of comfy sweatpants. He does a double take at the scene he walks in to find. Ryou is sitting at the table happily chatting away about the dream she had last night while Naruto works over the stove. The sight of the two fills his heart with warmth and softens his features.

The blond chooses that moment to turn around and smiles when she notices Sasuke standing in the doorway. "Good morning!" She says cheerfully. "Morning." He says, letting the warmth seep into his voice. Ryou giggles. "Naru and Sasu sittin' in a tree." She sings happily. Both adults blush slightly. "Say, Sasuke?" Asks Naruto. "Did you know that a certain eight year old is ticklish?"

Sasuke catches on immediately and decides to play along. "Is that so?" He asks. "Oh, yes." replies Naruto as she sets their breakfast on the table. "Very, very tickilish." The two adults pounce on the girl and proceed to use their fingers to poke at her sensitive sides and only stop when she laughs until she cries. The laughter dances it's way through the house before it finally breaks its way through Sasukes cursed mask completely. It falls away, making him feel slightly vulnerable, but when he looks at his girls faces he decides that he no longer cares.

His new goal is to make the kyuubi container and the small Uchiha miracle as at home as they have made him feel. Naruto and Sasuke eat quietly while Ryou talks about all the things she wants to do in Konoha. He slips his hand under the table and covers Narutos. He squeezes gently sending her a silent thanks. She squeezes back and the message she sends with it is clear. 'There is nothing to thank me for. This is something for all of us.'

"Mommy, can we go change my name now?" Asks Ryou when she finishes her breakfast. Sasuke looks at Naruto curiously. "Why and what to?" He asks directly. "She wants to use my name as well as yours." She answers back. "Uchiha- Uzumaki Ryou?" He questions. Natuto laughs. "You forgot one. She wants it to be Uchiha Namekaze Uzumaki Ryou." He raises one black brow. "Who is Namekaze? I thought you didn't know who your parents were."

Naruto smiles. "Do you want to meet my father?" Sasuke feels more confused than ever. Naruto laughs at the confusion swirling around his eyes. She grabs his arm and pulls him out the kitchen window, and jumps onto the roof. She points to the Hokage Mountain. "My father is Namekaze Minato the yellow flash and fourth Hokage of The Village Hidden in the Leaves." Sasuke stares at the mountain for the first time and compares the mans stony face to Naruto when she was a boy.

"Wow." He says. "Yup!" She agrees. He frowns. "Naruto, that is going to be a dangerous name to carry." She frowns too. "That's what I said too, but I accidentally raised Ryou to be as stubborn as I am." Sasuke thinks for a moment. "What is she like?" He finally asks out loud. Naruto grins. She is stubborn, loving, accepting, slow to get angry, fast to protect and loves fiercely." Sasuke inwardly groans. "So she's a mini you when you were young." Naru smacks him lightly on the arm. "No she has too much of the Uchiha stick up her rear that you call pride to be exactly like me, teme." She narrows her eyes at him. "Why do you look relieved?"

"Hn." He grunts before returning to the kitchen. "Hn, is not a word teme it's a sound!" She yells as she renters the house. She grabs the dirty plates up off the table and puts them into the sink, where soapy water cover them. "You don't have to do the dishes Naruto, you made breakfast." Says Sasuke. "Naru." Says Naruto. "What?" He asks. "I'd like to be called Naru, at least by you." Sasuke takes her hand out of the soapy water and holds them to his chest.

"Wether you are Naruto or Naru, you don't have to do the dishes because you made breakfast." Sasuke feels the warm water drip down his chest but he doesn't mind. "But I always do the dishes after breakfast." Says Naru with a pout. "Then at least allow me to help you." He compromises. "Fine." She agrees. He lets her hands fall away from his chest and immediately misses the warmth they provided.

They stand together in front of the sink and the dishes are soon done. Naru stretches with her arms above her head, and Sasuke takes the time to admire how graceful she seems in as a girl compared to when she was a boy.

He hugs her waist from behind and lays his head gently on her shoulder. "Thank you for coming back." He whispers sincerely. She brings her arms down so that her right is on his and her left is gently cupping his face. "I would always come back to you, just like you came back to me." His heart warms and he smiles. She turns her head slowly and he uses the opportunity to catch her lips in a kiss.

She opens her mouth slightly and Sasuke takes the opportunity to deepen the contact between them. Two things happen at once. The door to the bathroom opens revealing a happy Ryou and the front door slams open admitting a triumphant Sakura. "Yeay!" Cheers Ryou. They break the kiss and glance at the two intruders but neither Sasuke nor Naru make a move to break the rest of the contact between them excluding the fact that Naru moves her left hand to join her right.

"What do you want?" Growls Sasuke to Sakura. "I knew It!" She sings happily. "I always knew that you liked Naruto!" Sasuke glares harder at the pink haired girl until she gulps and quickly runs back out the door. Sasukes eyes immediately soften back into the warm onyx that they were before Sakura came in.

Naru looks at the happy Ryou. "And why are you so excited?" The little girl Smiles widely. "'Cause now I have a daddy too!" Sasuke stiffens. Naru feels it and decides to try to clear things up for both of them. "Honey, you know Sasuke is your uncle, right?" The little girl nods her head. "Yes, but you are my mommy and you like him and he likes you so that makes him my daddy too right?" Naru opens her mouth but is at a loss for words. Sasuke releases the blond and kneels in front of the eight year old. "Is that what you want me to be?" He asks her gently. The little girl bites her lip and nods her head, now unsure about her decision.

Sasuke can't stop the smile that crosses his face. "Then that's what I'll be." The little girl launches herself into his arms and kisses him on the cheek. Sasuke returns the girls embrace. "How about you get dressed and we'll all go to the park?" The little girl quickly lets go and runs towards her bedroom.

Sasuke stands and looks at Naru. "I know this is extremely backwards, but would you like to marry me so we can raise Ryou differently than how we had to grow up?" Naru smiles sadly. Sasuke flinches when he sees her expression, thinking she will refuse. "I do, but not yet." She tells him. He is startled by her acceptance but confused too. She sees it and the sad smile turns to a nervous and awkward one.

"I love you, but we haven't been around each other for years, so I just want a while to make sure that this is what's best for all three of us before we make any rash decisions. We need time to be sure that it's the kind of love that won't disappear." He nods and takes her hand into his. "I understand." He tells her truthfully. She smiles brightly and quickly kisses him before she turns around and makes her way to her own room. "You might want to put a shirt on before we go, otherwise your fangirls will mob us and we will never make it to the park."

He jogs down the hallway and reaches her before she disappears into her room. "There are only two girls that I want within ten feet of me, and both of them are already in my house." He smirks when he sees a faint reddish hue of red appear on her cheeks before he goes into his own room.

Five minutes later he is the last to arrive at the door. Both the woman and girl are in the same outfits as the day before but now Naru has her hair pulled back into two ponytails, allowing the long blond strands to caress her back in the gentle wind. Ryou has her dark hair pulled back into a simple ponytail that barley touches her neck, because it is so much shorter.

Ryou takes one of each of the adults hands and pulls them out of the house, barley giving Sasuke enough time to lock up before she drags them off again. Sasuke gently sends her in the right direction and watches in gentle amusement as the girl runs off as soon as the park comes into view.

They arrive shortly after the girl and several parents do a double take as they see the two walk together into the park. They sit on a bench under a tree and watch as their daughter plays with some of the other children. Before long the little girls declares her hunger and Naru immediately drags them to Ichiraku for some ramen.

On the way home they pass by a movie theatre and the little girl points and asks to go. They sit through a double feature before they once again head for home. By now it is dark but the youngest of the three is explaining her favorite parts of the movie. Naru and Sasuke smile as she recites the words that made her laugh the longest.

A dozen figures appear out of an alley and both ninja immediately put up their guards. Sasuke picks up his daughter and puts her safely on his back before he grabs Narus hand and turns them around to go back down the street where they had just come from. Another dozen or so figures appear, blocking their path. Ryou can feel her parents uneasiness and it intensifies when her father picks her up. The men scare her so she hides her face in her dads shoulder as best she can and concentrates on his steady breathing.

Naru looks up at the rooftops hoping to find an opening there but the figures are there too. She squeezes Sasukes hand and lets go before she drops into a protective stance behind hm, so that Ryou is protected. She mentally curses herself for the fact that she hadn't thought to grab her kunai pouch before leaving the house.

One figure breaks of from the others and stands posed for attack. "Look at what we have here boys. It's the kyuubi brat, the Uchiha traitor, and their spawn." Several men laugh. "What do you want?" Asks Naru pleasantly, as if they aren't surrounded. "We have been paid a handsome sum of money to make sure that you don't wake up tomorrow." Says the man in an equally pleasant tone. "And why is that?" She asks flitraciously. The man shrugs. "There is a small group of people that hate the fact that you 'deceived' the village into thinking you are a 'good person'."

"I haven't deceived anyone." She tells him truthfully. "Look, lady. It ain't really my problem. If you come quietly then we will let your boy and kid head home, deal?" Naru shifts slightly and bites her lip. She wants to say yes but she knows Sasuke will never agree. "Don't even think about it, dobe." Growls Sasuke. She whimpers and her gaze sweeps across their surroundings. "But Sasu, I don't have my weapons and I can't use many jutsu because I would risk hurting the people living in these buildings." He growls again. "What about your shadow clones?"

"They would only be a temporary distraction, especially if these guys know where we live." She says in defeat. "Dammit Naru, there has got to be something!" She shakes her head. "I can't put my village at risk by using any of my usual techniques, and taijutsu with Ryou on your back will slow you down and make both of you more vulnerable."

"No." It's not a question, it's a demand and an answer. "Please." She begs she turns and looks him in the eye. "I can smell the poison on their blades. If even one of those hit one of you then you'll be stolen from me. I can't lose you." He shakes his head stubbornly and Ryou looks at her mother with tears in her eyes, not fully understanding the situation they have been thrust into. "I won't leave you." He says stubbornly. "I'm not asking you to choose to save my life. I'm asking you to save our daughters." Says Naru, knowing she will win.

At the words, our daughter Sasuke knows that he has to give in. He has to protect what is theirs and believe that Naru will find her own way back. He pulls her into a fierce but passionate kiss before he lets her go and jumps onto the rooftops. He goes straight to the hokage tower, knowing that he has to get help.

When the dark haired male leaves the leader smirks and bows slightly to the blond. "After you my lady." She plasters a fake smile on her face. 'It's just until we get out of the village.' She reminds herself. "What a gentleman." She says with an icy tone. She immediately heads towards the edges of the villages. The man behind her smirks. Everything is going according to plan.

=D =D =D =D =D =D =D

Only one chapter left! I hope you enjoyed the story!


	4. Chapter 4

As soon as they step out of the village limits Naru turns and prepares for a fight. The leader smirks at the blond. "Do you think we don't know that you are out of shape? You can barely keep up a normal speed, let alone fight with your true potential." The blond glares. "Who do you work for?" She asks. "Ah, see that's where I lied. I am the boss and I am paying these men to kill you. The one who makes the finishing blow will get five times what he was to be payed originally. These men are all missing nin who need money, and I am a man with money who needs an army."

"I beat an army before, what makes you think that I can't beat one now?" Asks Naru. "Two reasons. The first is as I have stated before, you are out of shape. The second is because I know your little secret." He taunts. "What secret would that be?" Asks Naru. "The fact that you haven't killed another human being after your precious teachers death. All those white things that you fought were clones and those that were resurrected were already dead. You have never even killed with your rasengan or it's different forms. All the ones you fought during the war were simply resurrected and Obito was captured." Naru pales.

"Ah, yes. You may want to know that I have medical experience and I used this knowledge to make sure that my precious minions can't feel pain. That means that they can get right back up and keep on fighting no matter how badly injured they are." He smiles wickedly. "Attack." Poison covered senbon, kunai, and shuriken come flying at her at alarming speeds for her neglected muscles to be able to keep up properly. She barley manages to dodge them all but somehow manages.

She stands still just long enough for her to tap into the kyuubis chakra. The golden chakra surrounds her in it's armor and she jumps away a the first wave of enemies surrounds her. She dodges jutsu after jutsu as they are fired her way. 'Just hold on. Sasuke will bring help.' She chants mentally. She dodges a fire jutsu and lands on the ground before quickly jumping away from an earth style attack.

She is forced to use taijutsu to defend herself. Finally she decides to switch to some offense. She breaks three arms, two legs, five wrists, and severs twelve muscles before she discovers how their the leaders words are. The men still walk and attack her as soon as she lands a hit on them. Their numbers start to overwhelm her. She doesn't want the cycle of hatred to continue because of her. She doesn't want to kill them. How many of them had their own children at home and needed to make the money for their sakes?

She continues attacking and defending to the best of her current abilities. "Naru!" She nearly weeps with relief when Sasuke arrives with several of their comrades. Her relief turns into horror when she notices the smirking leader standing behind Sasuke posed to throw one of the poisoned senbon. She uses her top speed hoping to be able to knock it away before it reaches his exposed flesh.

She's too slow. The needle passes her hand and lands in her shoulder. She hisses in pain and winces as she moves to pull it out. Sasuke had turned just in tie to notice the man throw the needle and to see Naru just barely miss it. She pulls it out of her body and glares at it before she falls to the ground, the protective chakra disappearing. "Sakura!" Yells Sasuke as he panics. "The pink haired kunoichi appears beside him just as Naru starts thrashing wildly. The leaders smirk grows. "This is my special poison, created specially for the demon brat. It makes the body reject the chakra in it, causing extreme pain and terrible hallucinations."

"Naruto?" Asks a scarred chunnin. Sasuke recognizes Irukas voice and hears Kakashis unsteady reply. "Damn bastard!" Screams Iruka. All the ninja that hear him stare at Iruka because of the foul language the normally gentle man had just used. The mans smirk disappears and Sakura starts to try and remove the poison from Narus body. "You of all people should not be protecting it. It killed your family!" Iruka shakes his head. "You're wrong! The kyuubi killed my family and he was even being forced to!" By the end of his speech Iruka is shouting at the man. "I lost my sensei that night, and he was the one I considered family. Naruto lost her parents that night too. But none of us blame her for that night any longer." Says Kakashi with just as much emotion as Iruka.

"Mommy! screams a voice. Every man looks at the newest arrival and most of them look away as their guilt eats at them for what pain they know they have caused this innocent little girl. The girl lands on her knees next to the blond jinchuriki. "You are all fools." Declares the man. He raises one hand and takes aim at the girl. A wet thud is heard around the now silent clearing. His eyes widen and he looks down at the sword that is protruding from his chest. A large amount of blood leaks out of the corner of his mouth and he falls in a heap onto the ground.

A man stands in the spot the leader had been stabding a minute ago. There is a disgusted look on his face as he glares down at the fallen man. "I apologize for our actions. We were told we were fighting a monster, not someone who refused to kill. And definitely not a mother. We apologize and will be leaving immediately." The missing nin nod in agreement and quickly disappear into the forest.

A tortured scream echoes throughout the forest as Sakura tries to use her medical chakra to pull the poison from Narus body. Sasuke grabs Ryou and holds the now sobbing girl close to his chest. Sakura immediately stops and picks the blond up off the ground. She leaps quickly into the trees and starts giving out orders for an emergency operation as soon as they arrive back in Konoha. Sasuke keeps his grip on his daughter and quickly catches up with her.

"Sakura, what's wrong with her?" He demands. "I can't use my chakra to heal her. Her body is rejecting every little bit that I use as well as her own. I will have to treat her with medicines and analyze the toxin to try and find a cure." Cold horror grips his heart and squeezes. He holds his daughter closer to his chest as he fears for his loves life. It doesn't take them long to arrive at the hospital where Naru is immediately taken into an emergency room where Tsunade and several other doctors and nurses stand waiting.

The doors close, cutting off Sasukes view of what is going on inside the room. Ryou is still sobbing heavily so he sits on the bench and gently runs a hand through her hair. He whispers promises that Naru is going to be ok into her ear and eventually she falls asleep in his lap. He continues moving his hand in small soothing gestures on her back in hopes that the gentle touch will ward away any nightmares. He waits with his eyes glued on the door for four and a half hours before they open, revealing a very tired looking Sakura and Tsunade.

The doctors wheel the blond out of the room and down the hall and Sasuke watches them untill they disappear, wishing with all his heart that he could follow them. He knows rom the look on the two med- nins faces that Naru is alive but he can also see that there is bad news. "We had to put Naru in a coma like state to try to keep the amount of pain to a minimum. We managed to find an antidote of sorts but it is going to take a little while until Naru is going to be completely healthy. Until then I order you to go home and rest." Says Tsunade tiredly.

Sasuke stands carefully and walks out of the building to his home. At the front door he almost breaks down when he remembers how happy the three of them had been that morning. He opens the door and makes his way to Ryous room. He pulls back her covers and places her gently on the bed before he removes her shoes and covers her. He kissed her forehead and quietly leaves the room. He doesn't bother taking off his own shoes and just throws himself onto the covers. He worries about Naru and doesn't think he will be able to fall asleep. Eventually his body takes over and throws him into an uneasy sleep.

He opens his eyes and glances at the alarm clock. 2 a.m.. He groans and crawls off his bed towords the reason he finds himself awake at such a horrible hour. He walks into Ryous room and takes the crying girl into his arms. She cries harder and clings to his shirt. He lays down beside her and strokes her hair. They both slip into a slightly more peaceful sleep.

The same thing happens every night for a month. During that time Sasuke and Ryou were constantly seen at the hospital. Naru had been taken out of her fake coma two weeks after she had been admitted to the hospital, but for some reason the blond had not yet opened her eyes for even a moment.

Today is a day like every other in the past month. Sasuke and Ryoou arrive and he reads a book to her. A moan interrupts his steady voice and both Uchihas look over to Naru. She is sitting on the bed with a confused look on her face. Ryou cries out to her and launches herself into her moms warm embrace. Sasuke takes his time and sets the book on a nearby table before he sits on the edge of the bed. Naru takes one look of her families faces before she grimaces. "That bad, huh?"

Sasuke cups her cheek gently with his hand. "Don't EVER scare us like that again." He orders her. She nods and he leans forward and kisses her. He lets his relief slip into the contact and can feel how sorry she is for worrying them to such an extent. They part and Sasuke gathers both of his beloved family members into his arms.

"Is your proposal still open?" Asks Naru shyly. Sasuke releases them. "Only for you and only if you feel ready." He tells her. "I have known you for seventeen years of my life. I'm ready if you are." He smirks and places his forehead gently on hers. "Namekaze- Uzumaki Ayame Naru, will you marry me?" She smiles and catches his lips in a passionate and happy kiss. "I will."

After a week of close observation Naru is allowed to go home. Sasuke and Ryou each take one of her hands and walk happily down the street togther. A busty brunette wearing a shirt with Sasukes face on it jumps out in front of the trio bringing them to a halt. "Is it true that you're dating blondie?" She asks Sasuke. "No." Says Sasuke. The girl frowns. Then she notices the diamond glistening on Narus finger. "Ah, so you're engaged." Silence takes over as Sasuke waits tensely for the girl to start screaming insults at his fiance. It doesn't happen. A wicked grin appears on the brunettes face. She pulls out a camera and starts taking pictures of the three. Naru watches in confusion. "What are you doing?" She asks.

The girl puts the camera away. "I'm the leader of the SasuNaru fan club!" She tells them proudly. "I started it back when you were gennin 'cause I thought you were so cute together and then Sasuke left and you became a hero. Such a tragic event... Then Sasuke came back and you left only to reappear eight years later as a girl and with a daughter. Trust me, I've been watching you two and writing your tale and so far it's almost as popular as Romeo and Juliet." She smiles happily as the couple stares at her in shock. "Well, I'm off to publish these, bye!"

She skips away happily. "That is one of the most bizarre things I have ever heard in my life." Sasuke nods in agreement. "We are so much better than Romeo and Juliet." Sasuke facefaults and Naru ignores him. "They both died in the end but I'm going to make sure you live for a very long time." She starts to walk away leaving a surprised Sasuke behind her. "Coming teme? We have a story to finish."

He stands up and wipes imaginary dust off his clothes. "Don't worry, Teme, we are the only ones that saw you embarrass yourself." Says Naru who is still walking away with Ryo giggling lightly. He forces down the blush that threatens to appear and quickly catches up to them. "Whatever, dobe." Naru and Ryou grin and Naru sticks out her tongue.

~ Five years later ~

"Mom, Dad I'm going to meet up with my team." Shouts a now fifteen year old Ryou. "Ok, dear." Calls Naru back. "Have a good time." She continues feeding three year old Dendrin who seems to have more food on his shirt than in his mouth. Sasuke walks into the room and gently secures his hands around Narus swollen stomach. "Good morning." He tells her as he kisses her neck. She smiles and feeds their son another bite.

Sasuke sits down at the table and begins eating while silently watching his pregnant wife and second child (After Ryou). "I went to see Baa-chan yesterday." Says Naru when Dendrin is finished eating and begins to happily play with his stuffed fox. "She said they are perfectly healthy." A small grin tugs at the corners of her lips. "That's great, dear! Do we know what gen... der... s?" His eyes grow wide. "They?" He questions. Naru nods and her smile grows.

Sasuke jumps up and hugs her shoulders tightly. "Best birthday gift ever." He tells her truthfully. Naru laughs. "I thought you would appreciate that. One is a girl and the other is a boy." She admits and answers his question. He smiles. The emotion in his gaze roots Naru in place. He kisses her. "Thank you."

A ninja appears in the room. "Hokage-sama, Tsunade- Sama wishes to see you to talk about her temporary placement. Naru nods and the man disappears. Naru sighs and makes her way out the door Sasuke catches up to her just before she walks outside. He kisses her again. "Have a nice day." He tells her. She smiles and walks through the door. Sasuke closes it and turns around to his oldest son. He picks him up and hugs him close. "I wouldn't trade this for all the power in the world."

=D =D =D =D =D =D =D

Any final thoughts?


End file.
